Demons
The power structure of the Demons is based entirely upon strength. There are seven breeds, relating to the seven core sins, though certain variations do arise. In order from weakest to strongest, these are: 1) Sloth Demons 2) Wrath Demons 3) Greed Demons 4) Glutony Demons 5) Envy Demons 6) Desire Demons 7) Pride Demons While the breed of demon is most important in determining its strength, age also plays a factor. It is possible, for example, for a centuries old Wrath Demon to be the equal of a newborn Envy Demon, though there are plateaus. Thus, it would be impossible for even an elder Greed Demon to match a Pride Demon. Thankfully, the stronger breeds are rarer than the weaker, with each step becoming less common. The apex of the demonic power structure are the Nether Lords, a small collection of the eldest of each Demon Breed, each of which has been in existence since the earliest days of the mortal races. The power of these demons is a double edged blade - the stronger the demon, the more difficulty it has in manifesting fully in reality. Without the aid of outside magics, demons stronger than a Greed Demon cannot come into physical being, instead forced into the form of possessing spirits. Against such spirits, the powers of a Demon Hunter only dispel the demon back to the Nether, and as a balance the demon cannot manifest its full power. Only when a demon is fully manifest, whether naturally with the first three breeds, or with assistance, can it be truly killed. The Nether Lords: Among the innumerable legions of demonic spirits, there are a few that rise above the classical demonic races. Though there is no constant number of these Nether Lords, there have never been more than thirty, and a trio of Lords have been active since the beginning of recorded history. It is these three that gave the secrets of Blood Magic to the nascent mortal races, these three that taught humanity their tongue, which has served as the basis for every major language of humanity. *'Zenofex, the Primeval Sin:' Said to be the first demon ever to haunt the spirit world, it is whispered that Zenofex came from the ranks of the gods. Feeding upon the innumerable little sins and hatreds of primitive mortality, Zenofex grew so bloated and malign that he was banished from the realms of the divine to fester like a sore in the dark recesses of the spirit world. Now, he is more than god, more than demon, a malefic shadow whose tendrils have spread through the farthest reaches of existence. All demons bow before him, and the souls of the most irredeemably damned suffer in his innumerable maws. *'Kaal'ex, the Waking Nightmare:' Arising from the misdeeds of the mad and the inspired, Kaal'ex seeps into the dreams of those close to demonic infestation. Implanting the impetus for sin in the weak minded, Kaal'ex is the most subversive and hidden of the Nether Lords. *'Astavriex, the Shadow Lady:' The youngest of the Nether Lords, Astavriex was originally a queen of the spirits of Adamant that attempted to stand against Zenofex. Captured and tortured, she became something tarnished and twisted, the embodiment of the black flash that runs through all things beautiful. She appears to the greedy, the desperate, and the desirous, an angel that offers all things for a price.